Nautical mile - definition of nautical mile by The Free Dictionary Nautical mile - definition of nautical mile by The Free Dictionary nautical mile n. Abbr. nm A unit of length used in sea and air navigation, based on the length of one minute of arc of a great circle, especially an international and US unit equal to 1,852 meters (about 6,076 feet). Also called sea mile. nautical mile n 1. (Units) Also called: international nautical mile or air mile a unit of length, used esp in navigation, equivalent to the average length of a minute of latitude, and corresponding to a latitude of 45°, i.e. 1852 m (6076.12 ft) 2. (Units) a former British unit of length equal to 1853.18 m (6080 ft), which was replaced by the international nautical mile in 1970. Former name: geographical mile Compare sea mile nau′tical mile′ Units: I symbol for international einheit, the German name for the international unit (IU). IGPM abbreviation for Imperial gallons per minute.

immi a traditional Swiss unit of liquid volume. The immi has been brought into the metric system and now equals exactly 1.5 liters (about 3.17 U.S. liquid pints). imperial a large wine bottle holding about 6 liters, 8 times the volume of a regular bottle . Also called a methuselah. Imperial gallon (gal or IG) a traditional unit of volume equal to about 1.201 U.S. liquid gallon or 4.546 liters. See gallon [3]. In Canada, the term "Imperial" is used frequently to distinguish the British Imperial units from the corresponding U.S. units. Imperial units the units of the British Imperial system, adopted by Parliament in 1824. The basic units of the system are the foot , the avoirdupois pound , and the Imperial pint . The Weights and Measures Acts of 1963 and 1985 have redefined the Imperial units in term of the SI units. The Imperial units remain in varying degrees of use in Britain, Canada, Australia, and other areas of British heritage despite the introduction of metric units there.

Americans should note that the Imperial foot and pound are essentially the same as the units used in the U.S., but the Imperial pint is significantly larger than the U.S. liquid and dry pints. inch (in or ") [1] a traditional unit of distance equal to 1/12 foot or exactly 2.54 centimeters. The Old English word ynce is derived from the Latin uncia, meaning a 1/12 part; thus "inch" and "ounce" actually have the same root. The inch was originally defined in England in two ways: as the length of three barleycorns laid end to end, or as the width of a man's thumb at the base of the nail. The barleycorn definition is peculiarly English, but the thumb-width definition is generic. In fact, in many European languages the word for inch also means thumb: examples include the Dutch duim, Swedish tum, French pouce, and Spanish pulgada. In the history of English units the inch seems to come before the foot: after the Norman conquest of 1066 the foot was defined to equal 12 inches, rather than the inch being defined as 1/12 foot.

inch (in or ") [2] one of several traditional units of pressure. Air pressure is measured traditionally in inches of mercury (next entry) and water pressure in inches of water column (following entry). inch of mercury (in Hg) a traditional unit of atmospheric pressure. In the United States, atmospheric pressure is customarily expressed as the height of a column of mercury exerting the same pressure as the atmosphere. When a traditional mercury barometer is used, this height is read directly as the height of the mercury column. These readings must be corrected for temperature since mercury, like most liquids, tends to expand as it warms. The conventional equivalent of one inch of mercury is 0.491 153 pounds per square inch or 3.386 38 kilopascals (33.8638 millibars ). In the symbol for the unit, Hg is the chemical symbol for mercury; it comes from the Latin word hydrargyrum ("water-silver") for the liquid metal. inch of water column (in WC) a traditional unit of pressure, used in plumbing to describe both water and gas pressures.

The conventional equivalent of one inch of water is 249.0889 pascals , which is 2.490 889 millibars , about 0.036 127 pounds per square inch (psi) or about 0.073 556 inches (1.868 32 millimeters) of mercury. inch of water gauge (in wg or "wg) another common name for the inch of water column. The word "gauge" (or "gage") after a pressure reading indicates that the pressure stated is actually the difference between the absolute, or total, pressure and the air pressure at the time of the reading. inch pound (in·lbf or in lb) a traditional unit of work or energy, equal to 1/12 foot pound, about 0.112 985 joule or 1.0709 x 10-4 Btu . in d. abbreviation for the Latin in die, daily, a unit of frequency used in medical prescriptions. inhour (ih or inhr) a unit used in nuclear engineering to describe the "reactivity" of a nuclear reactor.

In a reactor, fast-moving neutrons break apart atoms of uranium or plutonium; the fission of these atoms releases additional neutrons which keep the reaction going. The ratio R between the number of neutrons created and the number consumed in each cycle of fission must be very close to 1 in order for the reaction to be controlled. The reactivity is the difference k = R - 1 between this ratio and 1. One inhour is the reactivity which will cause the number of neutrons to increase by a factor of e = 2.71828 in one hour; a reactivity of t inhours will cause the number of neutrons to increase by a factor of e in 1/t hours. The exact size of the unit varies according to the design of the reactor. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), the Italian-American physicist who built the first nuclear reactor, introduced this unit in 1947; its name is an acronym for "inverse hours." Other reactivity measures include the dollar and the milli-k . international foot the current foot unit of the English-speaking countries, equal to exactly 30.48 centimeters. See survey foot for additional information.

international nautical mile the nautical mile as currently defined by international agreement, equal to exactly 1852 meters or 6076.11549 feet. This long name is sometimes used to distinguish the current nautical mile from older units. international rubber hardness degree (IRHD) a unit used to measure the hardness of rubber and similar materials (technically known as elastomers). Measurements are made using an IRHD durometer , and the results are usually similar, but not identical, to readings made with the older Shore "A" durometer. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), among other standards agencies, have published IRHD test procedures. international unit (IU) a unit used to measure the activity (that is, the effect) of many vitamins and drugs. For each substance to which this unit applies, there is an international agreement specifying the biological effect expected with a dose of 1 IU. Other quantities of the substance are then expressed as multiples of this standard. Examples: 1 IU represents 45.5 micrograms of a standard preparation of insulin or 0.6 microgram of a standard preparation of penicillin.

Consumers most often see IU's on the labels of vitamin packages: in standard preparations the equivalent of 1 IU is 0.3 microgram (0.0003 mg) for vitamin A, 50 micrograms (0.05 mg) for vitamin C, 25 nanograms (0.000 025 mg) for vitamin D, and 2/3 milligram for (natural) vitamin E. Please note: for many substances there is no definite conversion between international units and mass units (such as milligrams). This is because preparations of those substances vary in activity, so that the effect per milligram of one preparation is different from that of another. Internet time a global decimal time system proposed by the Swatch Corporation. See beat for more information. ips an abbreviation for inches per second (in/s), a traditional unit of velocity equal to 2.54 centimeters per second. ipy Details on Length Units Home | Links | Sitemap | Contact angstrom Or ångström, is a unit of length (symbol Å) , also called tenthmeter, which is named after Swedish spectroscopist Ander Jonas Ångström.

It is equal to 10-10 meter or 0.1 nanometer. bicron An obsolete metric unit of length, defined as 10-12 meter or 10-6 micron. This length is now called a picometer (pm). cable A nautical unit to measure the distance. One cable is one tenth of nautical mile or 100 fathoms.The length of a cable in UK and International use is slightly different for the difference of the nautical mile. One cable is 185.3 meters in UK and 185.2 meters in International use. chain A unit of length used in UK, US and other Commonwealth countries (symbol ch). 1 chain = 4 rod =20.1168 meter. fathom A nautical unit to measure the depth of sea water. Now it can also be used to measure the depth of mines. 1 fathom = 2 yards = 6 feet. foot Unit of length based on foot, pound and second (symbol ft). Historically, there were a few definitions in different countries. Internationally, 1 foot = 0.3048 meters = 12 inches.

furlong A unit of length based on the inch, foot, yard, and mile system. 1 furlong = 40 rods. hand A traditional unit of distance, now used mostly to measure the height of horses. One hand equals 4 inches, 1/3 foot, or 10.16 centimeters. inch Unit of length based on foot, pound and second (symbol in). Historically, there were a few definitions in different countries. Internationally, 1 inch = 0.0254 meter = 1/12 foot. league A traditional unit of distance was intended to express one hour of walk. It was usually three times of a mile, i.e. 3 statute miles (4828.032 meters) on land, 3 nautical miles at sea (5556 meters in US and 5559 meters in UK for the slight difference of nautical miles). link A unit of length based on the inch, foot, yard, and mile system (symbol li). 1 link = 33⁄50 feet = 7.92 inches. meter SI base unit of length.

Meter is the length of the path traveled by light in a vacuum during a time interval of 1/299792458 of a second. This definition was adopted in 1983 by the CGPM. mil A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/1000 of an inch, used chiefly to measure the diameter of wires. nautical mile A nautical mile (symbol nmi) is the angular distance of one minute (1/60 degree) of latitute on the earth surface. The distance varies with the difference of latitute. For many years the British adopted 6080 feet as one nautical mile (1853 meters). Until 1929 the nautical mile was adopted by the First International Extraordingary Hydrographic Conference to be 1852 meters exactly or 6076.115 49 feet. The international nautical mile equals about 1.1508 statute miles. rod A unit of length based on the inch, foot, yard, and mile system (symbol rd). 1 rod = 25 links.

shackle Units: N a metric unit of mass equal to 10-9 gram, or one millionth of a milligram. nanogray (nGy) a unit of radiation dose equal to 10-9 gray or 0.1 micro rad (µrad). This unit often occurs in the study of inhalation exposures. nanoliter (nl or nL) a metric unit of volume equal to 10-9 liter or 0.001 cubic millimeter. nanometer (nm) a metric unit of distance equal to 10-9 meter. Introduced in 1951, the nanometer replaced the millimicron. One nanometer equals 0.001 micrometer or 10 angstroms . nanomole a unit of amount of substance equal to 10-9 mole . This unit is common in biochemistry, since a mole of a large organic molecule can be quite a large amount. nanon an informal name for the nanometer. nanonewton (nN) a metric unit of force equal to 10-9 newton (see below) or 0.1 milli dyne .

Nanonewtons measure the force of solar radiation and the tiny forces exerted within living cells. nanoradian (nrad) a unit of angle measure equal to 10-9 radian . The nanoradian equals about 0.208 533 milliarcsecond (mas). Such tiny angles are encountered in astronomy and in geological measurements. nanosecond (ns) a unit of time equal to 10-9 second. nanosievert (nSv) a unit of radiation dose equal to 10-9 sievert or 0.1 micro rem . nanostrain (nstrain) an engineering unit measuring strain. An object under strain is typically deformed (extended or compressed), and the strain is measured by the amount of this deformation relative to the same object in an undeformed state. One nanostrain is the strain producing a deformation of one part per billion (10-9). Strains in geological formations are often measured in this unit. nanotesla (nT) a unit of magnetic field strength equal to 10-9 tesla or 10-5 gauss . The unit is used in geology to measure small changes in the Earth's magnetic field.

nat or natural unit a unit of information content used in information and communications theory. The nat is similar to the shannon but uses the natural logarithm (to the base e) instead of the logarithm to the base 2. If the probability of receiving a particular message is p, then the information content of the message is -loge p nats. For example, if a message is a string of 5 letters or numerals, with all combinations being equally likely, then a particular message has probability 1/365 and the information content of a message is 5(loge 36) = 17.9176 nats. One nat equals log2 e = 1.442 695 shannons or log10 e = 0.434 294 hartleys . nautical mile (nmi, naut mi, n mile, or NM) a unit of distance used primarily at sea and in aviation. The nautical mile is defined to be the average distance on the Earth's surface represented by one minute of latitude.

This may seem odd to landlubbers, but it makes good sense at sea, where there are no mile markers but latitude can be measured. Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, it is not easy to measure the length of the nautical mile in terms of the statute mile used on land. For many years the British set the nautical mile at 6080 feet (1853.188 meters), exactly 800 feet longer than a statute mile ; this unit was called the Admiralty mile. Until 1954 the U.S. nautical mile was equal to 6080.20 feet (1853.249 meters). In 1929 an international conference in Monaco redefined the nautical mile to be exactly 1852 meters or 6076.115 49 feet, a distance known as the international nautical mile. The international nautical mile equals about 1.1508 statute miles. There are usually 3 nautical miles in a league .

The unit is designed to equal 1/60 degree [2], although actual degrees of latitude vary from about 59.7 to 60.3 nautical miles. (Note: using data from the Geodetic Reference System 1980, the "true" length of a nautical mile would be 1852.216 meters.) Ncm a symbol for the newton centimeter, a metric unit of torque equal to 0.01 newton meter (see below) or about 1.416 12 inch ounces (in·oz) in traditional English units. Ndm3 a symbol sometimes used for the normal liter (see below). Recall that a liter is the same as a cubic decimeter (dm3). nebuchadnezzar a huge wine bottle holding about 15 liters, 20 times the volume of a regular bottle . neck (nk) an informal unit of distance used to measure the distance one horse leads another at the finish of a race. The neck is usually interpreted to be 1/4 length or a little less; this is roughly 2 feet or 0.6 meter.

neper (Np) a unit expressing the ratio of two numbers as a natural logarithm; the ratio r corresponds to (1/2) ln r nepers. Quantities differ by 1 neper if one is e2 = 7.389056 times the other. One neper is equal to about 8.685 890 decibels , and in general n nepers equal 20n/(ln 10) decibels. The neper is accepted for use with SI units, and it may become an SI unit in the future. The unit recognizes the Scottish mathematician John Napier (1550-1617), the inventor of the logarithm (Napier often spelled his name Jhone Neper, and he used the Latin form Ioanne Napero in his writings). nest an old English unit of quantity equal to 3. This unit was often, but not always, used for items that nest together, such as 3 bowls or 3 hampers. net ton (NT) the name "net ton" is used in at least two ways: (1) as another name for the U.S.

or short ton of 2000 pounds (see ton [1]), and (2) as another name for the register ton, a unit of volume equal to 100 cubic feet (see ton [3]), in describing the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship as opposed to the entire interior volume. To avoid confusion, it is better to use "short ton" for use (1) and "net register ton" for use (2). new candle an older name (introduced in 1937) for the candela , a unit of light intensity. new style (NS) a notation used after dates to indicate that the date is stated in the Gregorian calendar (the calendar now in general use) rather than in the Julian calendar (see year [2]). The notation is used primarily for Gregorian dates between 15 October 1582, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Catholic Europe, and 14 September 1752, when it was adopted in Britain. See also old style . newton (N) the SI unit of force. A force of one newton will accelerate a mass of one kilogram at the rate of one meter per second per second.

The corresponding unit in the CGS system is the dyne ; there are 105 dynes in one newton. In traditional English terms, one newton is about 0.224 809 pounds of force (lbf) or 7.233 01 poundals . The newton is also equal to about 0.101 972 kilograms of force (kgf) or kiloponds (kp). The newton is named for Isaac Newton (1642-1727), the British mathematician, physicist, and natural philosopher. He was the first person to understand clearly the relationship between force (F), mass (m), and acceleration (a) expressed by the formula F = ma. newton meter (N·m) the SI unit of torque. Torque, the tendency of a force to cause a rotation, is the product of the force and the distance from the center of rotation to the point where the force is applied. Torque has the same units as work or energy, but it is a different physical concept. To stress the difference, scientists measure torque in newton meters rather than in joules , the SI unit of work.

One newton meter is approximately 0.737 562 pound foot . newton second (N·s) the SI unit of impulse, equal to the amount of momentum added to an object if a force of one newton is applied for one second. The newton second equals about 0.224 809 pound second (lbf·s) in traditional English units. Impulse and momentum have the same dimensions, but momentum is measured in kilogram meters per second (kg·m/s) in the SI. ngarn a unit of land area in Thailand. The ngarn equals 1/4 rai , 100 talangwah (tw), or exactly 400 square meters (478.396 square yards or just under 0.1 acre ). niacin equivalent (NE) a unit used in nutrition. An essential nutrient, niacin is supplied in normal diets from tryptophan, an amino acid found in many foods. However, only a small fraction of tryptophan is converted into niacin in the body.

Accordingly, 1 niacin equivalent is equal to 1 milligram of actual niacin or to 60 milligrams of tryptophan. nibble a unit of information used in computer science. A nibble is 4 bits or 1/2 byte . The cuter spelling nybble, suggested by byte, is sometimes used. In different contexts, a group of 4 bits is sometimes called a quadbit or a hexit. nile a unit used in nuclear engineering to describe the "reactivity" of a nuclear reactor. One nile is a reactivity of 0.01 or 1%. Since this is a rather large amount, reactivity is measured for practical purposes in milliniles, with one millinile = 10-5. The nile was invented in the British nuclear power industry. For a discussion of reactivity, see inhour . nine [1] a measure of "fineness" or purity of gold and other materials. For example, gold that is 99.99% pure, or .9999 fine , is called "4 nines fine." nine [2] a measure of reliability, or "availability," used in computer engineering.

For example, a component has "3 nines" of reliability if it operates correctly 99.9% of the time, or, equivalently, if its failure rate is 0.1%. Thus each nine represents a reduction of 90% in the failure rate. If the probability of correct operation is p, then the reliability, in nines, is equal to -log10(1-p). nip an informal unit of liquid volume. The term "nip" often means "a small amount," with no precise equivalent. In U.S. bartending, a nip is often taken to be 2 fluid ounces (about 59 milliliters). In Britain, a nip of spirits is considered to be 1/6 gill (about 22.95 milliliters or 0.776 U.S. fluid ounce ); a nip of beer is 1/4 pint (the same as a gill, 4 fluid ounces or about 117.7 milliliters) or sometimes 1/3 pint (189.4 milliliters).

nit (nt) an MKS unit of luminance, equal to one candela per square meter, or 10-4 stilb . The nit is not approved as part of the SI , but it has been approved since 1947 by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and is in wide use. The name of the unit comes from the Latin niteo, to shine. This unit is sometimes called the meterlambert, by analogy with the footlambert . Nm or N·m [1] symbol for newton meter, a unit of torque (see above). Nm [2] abbrevation for normal metric, a symbol for the density of worsted yarns. Yarn is described as a/b Nm if it is a-ply (has a individual strands) and there are b kilometers of yarn per kilogram. An example might be 2/40 Nw, describing a 2-ply yarn having 40 kilometers per kilogram. If the yarn is single-ply, the a is often omitted, so a single-ply yarn is described as b Nm.

noeud the French word for the knot (1.852 km/h), the traditional unit of velocity at sea. This unit is still used officially in France; for example, Météo France uses it in maritime weather forecasts. noggin a traditional unit of liquid volume, used primarily in Ireland. Like the gill , the noggin is often taken to equal 1/4 pint ; sometimes it is taken to be 1/2 pint. noise criterion (NC), noise rating (NR) units used in enginering to measure the acceptability of sound levels in enclosed spaces. The noise rating (NR) system was introduced by Kosten and van Os in 1962. Numerically, the NR rating is equal to the sound level in decibels at a frequency of 1000 hertz , but the rating requires lower levels at the more objectionable higher frequencies. The noise criterion (NC) system, introduced by Beranek in 1957, is similar, but it is designed more toward preserving speech communication, requiring lower levels of both high and low frequencies. It was updated in 1971, and the updated system is called PNC (prefered noise criterion).

nonet a unit of quantity equal to 9, used mostly in music to describe an ensemble of 9 instruments. nook a traditional unit of land area in northern England. Originally the nook was 1/2 virgate ; a virgate, often called a yardland in the north, was about 30 acres in southern England but tended to be closer to 40 acres in the north. A nook of land thus came to be 20 acres or about 8.094 hectares . normal (N) a term used in chemistry to describe a solution having a concentration of 1 gram equivalent per liter. The normal concentration of an ion is effectively equal to the molar concentration divided by the valence (the number of free or missing electrons) of the ion. normal cubic meter (Nm3) a unit of mass for gases equal to the mass of 1 cubic meter (35.3147 ft3) at a pressure of 1 atmosphere and at a standard temperature, often 0 °C (32 °F) or 20 °C (68 °F). The term standard cubic meter is also used; sometimes both are used, with different temperatures.

Because industry practice varies, these terms should always be defined wherever they occur. The symbol Nm3, though common, is not permissible under the SI because that symbol means "newton cubic meter." An acceptable SI symbol would be "m3 normal." See also sccm . normal liter (NL or Nl or Ndm3) a unit of mass for gases equal to the mass of 1 liter (0.035 3147 ft3) at a pressure of 1 atmosphere and at a standard temperature, often 0 °C (32 °F) or 20 °C (68 °F). Air flow is often stated in normal liters per minute (Nl/min). nose an informal unit of length, equal to roughly half the length of a horse's head, used in expressing the results of a horse race. note a unit of relative time in music, also called a whole note, equal to 1/2 breve . nox a unit of (low) illumination equal to 0.001 lux . This unit was used in Germany during World War II to describe permitted levels of lighting during air raids.

"Nox" is the Latin word for "night." noy a unit of perceived noisiness introduced by the American acoustics engineer K. D. Kryter in 1959. An observer uses the unit to described the noise levels he or she experiences as multiples of a standard level. The standard level, one noy, is defined to be the noisiness of a random noise signal within the frequency band from 910 to 1090 hertz at a sound pressure level of 40 decibels . As you have already guessed, the unit's name is chosen so that its plural is pronounced "noise." A jet aircraft takeoff is rated at about 110 noys. NTU abbreviation for nephelometric turbidity unit, a unit used in measuring water quality. Turbidity is an optical property: the scattering and absorption of light by solids suspended in water. Turbid water has a cloudy or hazy appearance.

An instrument called a nephelometer (from a Greek word meaning "cloudy") measures turbidity directly by comparing the amount of light transmitted straight through a water sample with the amount scattered at an angle of 90° to one side; the ratio determines the turbidity in NTU's. The instrument is calibrated using samples of a standard solution such as formazin, a synthetic polymer. Drinking water should not have a turbidity above 1 NTU, although values up to 5 NTU are usually considered safe. Outside the U.S., this unit is usually called the FNU (formazin nephelometric unit). nu a measure of the dispersiveness (or constringence, as it is called) of a lens or prism. If b, y, and r are the indices of refraction at blue, yellow, and red wavelengths, respectively, then the nu value is (y - 1)/(b - r). The measure is represented by the Greek letter nu, and sometimes the symbol "nu" is used as if it were a unit, as in 65 nu. Nw symbol for normal worsted, a unit measuring the density of worsted yarns.

Worsted yarn is described as a/b Nw if it is a-ply (has a individual strands) and there are b 560-yard hanks of yarn per pound. An example might be 2/40 Nw, describing a 2-ply yarn having 40 hanks (22 400 yards) per pound. If the yarn is single-ply, the a is often omitted, so a single-ply worsted yarn is described as b Nw. nybble 1852 Miles to Kilometers Conversion - Convert 1852 Miles to Kilometers (mi to km) - Distance and Length Conversion 1852 Miles to Kilometers Conversion - Convert 1852 Miles to Kilometers (mi to km) Menu☰ You are currently converting Distance and Length units from Miles to Kilometers 1852 Miles (mi) = 2980.50509 Kilometers (km) Miles : A mile is a most popular measurement unit of length, equal to most commonly 5,280 feet (1,760 yards, or about 1,609 meters).

The mile of 5,280 feet is called land mile or the statute mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile (1,852 meters, about 6,076.1 feet). Use of the mile as a unit of measurement is now largely confined to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Kilometers : The kilometer (SI symbol: km) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to 1000m (also written as 1E+3m). It is commonly used officially for expressing distances between geographical places on land in most of the world.

Distance and Length Conversion Calculator Convert From : 1852 Meters to Miles Conversion - Convert 1852 Meters to Miles (m to mi) - Distance and Length Conversion 1852 Meters to Miles Conversion - Convert 1852 Meters to Miles (m to mi) Menu☰ You are currently converting Distance and Length units from Meters to Miles 1852 Meters (m) = 1.15078 Miles (mi) Meters : The meter (symbol m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined as "the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299,792,458 of a second." In 1799, France start using the metric system, and that is the first country using the metric. Miles : A mile is a most popular measurement unit of length, equal to most commonly 5,280 feet (1,760 yards, or about 1,609 meters).

The mile of 5,280 feet is called land mile or the statute mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile (1,852 meters, about 6,076.1 feet). Use of the mile as a unit of measurement is now largely confined to the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Distance and Length Conversion Calculator Convert From : Mile | Definition of Mile by Merriam-Webster Definition of mile for Students 1 : a measure of distance (statute mile) equal to 5280 feet (1609 meters) 2 : a measure of distance (geographical mile or nautical mile) used in air and sea travel equal to about 6076 feet (1852 meters) History for mile In English we use the word mile for two different lengths. Though the ancient Roman mile was not the same as either of these, the English word mile comes from the Latin name for the Roman mile.

This Latin word, milia, came from the phrase milia passuum, literally, “thousands of steps.” From the Latin word for “thousand,” mille, we also get the words mill (a thousandth of a dollar) and million (a thousand thousands). Learn More about mile Nautical miles - definition of Nautical miles by The Free Dictionary Nautical miles - definition of Nautical miles by The Free Dictionary nautical mile n. Abbr. nm A unit of length used in sea and air navigation, based on the length of one minute of arc of a great circle, especially an international and US unit equal to 1,852 meters (about 6,076 feet). Also called sea mile. nautical mile n 1. (Units) Also called: international nautical mile or air mile a unit of length, used esp in navigation, equivalent to the average length of a minute of latitude, and corresponding to a latitude of 45°, i.e. 1852 m (6076.12 ft) 2.

(Units) a former British unit of length equal to 1853.18 m (6080 ft), which was replaced by the international nautical mile in 1970. Former name: geographical mile Compare sea mile nau′tical mile′ Nautical Miles - Seafaring Definition and History Nautical Miles The Development of Nautical Miles and Nautical Charts Gary John Norman/ Stone/ Getty Images By Amanda Briney Updated August 31, 2015. A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used on water by sailors and/or navigators in shipping and aviation. It is the average length of one minute of one degree along a great circle of the Earth. One nautical mile corresponds to one minute of latitude . Thus, degrees of latitude are approximately 60 nautical miles apart. By contrast, the distance of nautical miles between degrees of longitude is not constant because lines of longitude become closer together as they converge at the poles. Nautical miles are typically abbreviated with the symbols nm, NM or nmi. For example, 60 NM represents 60 nautical miles.

In addition to being used in navigation and aviation, nautical miles are also used polar exploration and international laws and treaties regarding territorial water limits . Nautical Mile History Until 1929, there was not an internationally agreed upon distance or definition for the nautical mile. In that year, the First International Extraordinary Hydrographic Conference was held in Monaco and at the conference, it was determined that the international nautical mile would be exactly 6,076 feet (1,852 meters). continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Currently this is the only definition in use widely and it is the one that is accepted by the International Hydrographic Organization and the International Bureau of Weights and Measures . Prior to 1929, different countries had different definitions of the nautical mile. For example, the United States measurements were based on the Clarke 1866 Ellipsoid and the length of one minute of arc along a great circle. With these calculations, a nautical mile was 6080.20 feet (1,853 meters). The U.S. abandoned this definition and accepted the international measure of a nautical mile in 1954.

In the United Kingdom , the nautical mile was based on the knot. A knot is a unit of speed derived from dragging pieces of knotted string from sailing ships. The number of knots falling into the water over a given period of time determines the knots per hour. Using knots , the U.K. determined that one knot was one nautical mile and one nautical mile represented 6,080 feet (1853.18 meters). In 1970, the U.K. abandoned this definition of the nautical mile and now uses exactly 1,853 meters as its definition. Using Nautical Miles Today, one nautical mile still equals exactly the internationally agreed upon measure of 1,852 meters (6,076 feet). One of the most important concepts in understanding the nautical mile though is its relation to latitude. Because a nautical mile is based on Earth’s circumference, an easy way to understand the calculation of a nautical mile is to imagine the Earth being cut in half. Once cut, the circle of the half can be divided into equal portions of 360°. These degrees can then be divided into 60 minutes.

One of these minutes (or minutes of arc as they are called in navigation) along a great circle on Earth represents one nautical mile. In terms of statute or land miles, a nautical mile represents 1.15 miles. This is because one degree of latitude is approximately 69 statute miles in length. 1/60th of that measure would be 1.15 statute miles. Another example is travelling around the Earth at the equator to do this, one would have to travel 24,857 miles (40,003 km). When converted to nautical miles, the distance would be 21,600 NM. In addition to its use in navigational purposes, nautical miles are also still significant markers of speed as the term "knot" is today used to mean one nautical mile per hour. Therefore if a ship is moving at 10 knots, it is moving at 10 nautical miles per hour. The term knot as it is used today is derived from the previously mentioned practice of using a log (a knotted rope tied to a ship) to gauge the speed of a ship.

To do this, the log would be thrown into the water and trailed behind the ship. The number of knots that passed off of the ship and into the water over a certain amount of time would be counted and the number counted determined speed in “knots.” Present-day knot measurements are determined with more technologically advanced methods however such as mechanical tow, Doppler radar, and/or GPS. Nautical Charts Because nautical miles have constant measurement following lines of longitude, they are extremely useful in navigation. To make navigation easier, sailors and aviators have developed nautical charts which serve as a graphical representation of the Earth with a focus on its areas of water. Most nautical charts contain information on the open sea, coastlines, navigable inland waters and canal systems. Usually, nautical charts use one of three map projections : the gnomic, polyconic and Mercator. The Mercator projection is the most common of these three because on it, lines of latitude and longitude cross at right angles forming a rectangular grid. On this grid, the straight lines of latitude and longitude work as straight line courses and can easily be plotted through the water as navigable routes.

The addition of the nautical mile and its representation of one minute of latitude make navigation relatively easy in open water, thus making it an extremely important component of exploration, shipping and geography.

Question: What unit of measurement is equal to 1,852 meters or 6,076 feet?
Answer: A NAUTICAL MILE